We are proud and honored to announce that we will be contributing to the Boston Moms Blog, part of the City Moms Blog family!! The official launch date is February 18th, but in the meantime please “like” Boston Moms Blog on Facebook! We’re so excited to be part of this fabulous group of local moms and look forward to sharing more details as they come!

Thank you to everyone who has supported us and Blissfulmamas!
Much love,
Erin and Becky

My Story…I’m Becky Couture and I’m 33 years old, I love Disney, the ocean, and everything about Boston! I have been married to my husband Chad for 9 years we have 2 little boys and 2 St Bernard’s! We moved to the Boston area from VT about 2 ½ years ago and really enjoy Massachusetts. I have worked in Ophthalmology as a technician/scribe/surgical assistant/ophthalmic photographer for about 11 years and absolutely love my work. In the last 3 years I have moved twice, had 2 baby boys, and 3 jobs! Needless to say, I have experienced more change than the average and have learned a lot about what I need as a mom to be successful in my career and at home. Erin and I both hope that by sharing our stories and hearing from other moms, that we can all inspire one another to keep striving to achieve our dreams and goals all while minimizing the guilt and fear.

My Career… I have worked in ophthalmology for about 11 years and have had many different responsibilities involving care of patients. When we moved from VT, I left a long-term job in a very family friendly private practice and needless to say, it’s been tough to replicate. The first job I took in Boston was not accommodating to my family needs. I had a manager leak my pregnancy to my entire department before I was even out of my first trimester. I fought hard to get time off for my doctor’s appointments and only found out a week before I delivered that I would be granted part time, if I moved to a new department. I was grateful for the effort of one really fabulous supervisor, but in the end, it just didn’t seem worth the commute and time away from the boys for something I didn’t believe in. Luckily, an amazing opportunity came up, one that I had actually turned down the year before. Not only were they willing to work with my schedule, but they also provided a place for me to pump while at work and offered some flexibility. It’s been a dream come true and I am loving my career/work balance.

Proudest Mama Moment...I feel that by working and doing something I love, I am providing a great example of work ethic for my boys and giving them an opportunity to socialize and become independent. My proudest moment, was when my 3 year old jumped on the train at the playground and proudly stated that he was heading to work in Boston like mommy!

Career Must Have…my smartphone and a supportive husband!

My Family…Chad and I keep busy raising our 2 boys, Finn 3 and Kieran 16 months. Both boys are very active and have large personalities. Finn is a very helpful big brother and adores his little buddy. Kieran is always smiling and loves his big brother and big dog Duke! Having two boys so close in age, has had its challenges but also so many rewards. The boys are very close and very often playing in Finn’s bedroom giggling and getting into trouble. My husband and I share household duties although he is much more talented in the kitchen! I currently work 3 days a week and on those days, he is solely responsible for getting the boys up, fed, dressed, and off to daycare. Most days, he is also picking up and making them dinner. I literally could not do what I do, without a supportive partner and a flexible schedule. We have laundry on the couch, unmade beds, and dishes in the sink most days during the week. Most evenings, I pack the kids lunch and any items they may need for daycare as well as pick out the boys outfits for the morning. This has worked well for my husband who has to get 3 people out the door in the am. Our schedule does vary from week to week, but our boys are happy and loved and it works for us.

Family Fun Time…When we’re not working, we love going to the beach, outings in Boston, the Aquarium, playgrounds, our back yard or traveling to see family out of state. It’s rare that you’ll find us hanging around our house. We love to keep busy and do fun things with our boys as much as possible. This past year, we traveled to Walt Disney World for our first trip as a family and it was just a dream come true. We’ve also spend time in NH, VT, and Martha’s Vineyard. It has always been a dream of mine to travel with the kids as much as possible. In the future, my hope is to be able to continue in country travel as well as trips abroad including France and Ireland. We’ll see what the future holds!

To Keep Organized…We basically manage our time with lists, texting, and my iPhone calendar. Because we spend so much time running around, we typically discuss schedules and plans while driving around in the car. I have found that discussions during that time, allows us to maximize our time at the beach or playing in the backyard. I am a procrastinator by nature and tend to be fairly disorganized. I have yet to find a method to keep everything straight on a consistent basis. The funny thing is, I sort of thrive in that chaos and love the problem solving. It keeps my mind sharp, but of course a little less craziness probably wouldn’t be a bad thing!

Me Time… is typically my commute to and from the city. I head into work pretty early, which affords me the time to walk from the train station to my office. I try to walk each day that I work, averaging about 4.5 miles per week. I always feel inspired on my morning city walk, Boston has an infectious energy and I love dog watching in the Public Garden. I also find inspiration in my kids, my friends, and the amazing patients I help care for everyday. I deal with the sensitive topic of visual impairment and often in the elderly population. I consider the time I spend with them to be a privilege and feel honored that I am a part of their care. I use my train time to read, catch up on emails, or even sleep! It also gives me a chance to catch my breath before heading home to my family. I would love to make more time for outings with girlfriends, especially times where we leave the kids at home and just get a chance to unwind and talk. It’s certainly a goal to try and work toward this year!

Finding Balance…I think the most important thing to remember is that we are all different. We are all doing it right and to the best of our ability. There is more than one way to raise a family and by sharing our stories with one another, we can truly see that there are many different ways to manage home and career. I think it’s amazing and we are just so lucky to have so many opportunities for success and fulfillment. I love the idea of a place where we can celebrate our successes and failures and laugh and enjoy those moments. As our family grows together, I know that our needs will continue to evolve and I welcome the challenge and the change. That’s what life is all about, and I am so grateful for the experience.